


Some lawyers just don’t follow the law

by the_scarlet_01



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Blackmail, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 11:27:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21475237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_scarlet_01/pseuds/the_scarlet_01
Summary: Prompt: After the lawsuit everyone is understandably angry with Buck despite his attempts to bury the hatchet. So when he starts getting threatening messages from the sleazy lawyer for turning down the money he feels completely on his own. The terror goes on for weeks until maybe Buck leaves his phone behind and Eddie picks up on one of those threats and goes berserk, the rest of the team doing the same. An enraged Bobby informs Athena of the situation while they all guard Buck, especially Eddie
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 17
Kudos: 794





	Some lawyers just don’t follow the law

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd, please forgive any typos.

When Evan Buckley turned down a settlement for millions of dollars all he wanted was to get back to work. When he turned it down he’d hoped it would be the end of all the drama. Sure his friends might need some time to get past it but it would all be okay. Buck should have realized that was way too optimistic for his luck. He had apologized to the team on multiple occasions. Hen and Chimney seemed to be the only ones that might have been receptive to his apology, but they still kept their distance. Bobby only spoke to Buck to bark orders at him and assign the worst chores. If Eddie was in a room when Buck entered, he’d leave. Buck hated it. The week after he started back at the 118 he had been scrubbing the floor when his phone went off. He was shocked to see the number of his former lawyer, Chase Mackey, on the screen. He opened the message.

Do Not Answer!!!! Lawyer: Youre a fucking idiot. You may not have taken the money but you will pay.

Buck: I paid your fees. What do you want from me?

Do Not Answer!!!! Lawyer: What you lost me.

Well that seemed sketchy, even for this lawyer. Buck wasn’t sure how to handle this. He was going text back but the alarms went off.

“Buckley! That floor better be done by the time we get back.” The captain shouted as the team headed out to the call. Buck sighed and kept scrubbing. This couldn’t last forever, right?

Wrong. A month later, Buck’s phone buzzed as he polished the bumper of the ladder truck when his phone went off. He froze. No one ever cared where he was or what he was doing anymore, especially while he was at work. None of his coworkers were going to text him to yell at him when they could just do it in person. Some of them seemed to enjoy doing it in person, like it was the highlight of their day.

Do Not Answer!!!! Lawyer: You still owe me.

Do Not Answer!!!! Lawyer: Do not forget that I know everything about you. Everything about everyone you know.

Do Not Answer!!!! Lawyer: Wouldn’t want it getting out.

Was this really happening? Buck could feel his chest tightening, his heart pounding against his ribs. He really was being blackmailed. Blackmailed to protect the people who hated him, and it was working. Normally if he needed a little extra cash he’d take on a few extra shifts, but no one wanted to work with him so that wouldn’t work. If he told the others it would only make them hate him even more. What was he going to do?

Eddie Diaz glared at the youngest firefighter staring at his phone. “Buckley! Get off your phone and do your damn job!”

Buck forced himself to take a few deep breathes and got back to cleaning. When Eddie was gone he sent the lawyer a reply.

Buck: Fine. I’ll pay.

That was how Buck found himself working harder than he ever had in his life. He barely had time to eat or sleep, which was fine. Not eating as much saved him a ton on groceries. Every week he’d send money to the lawyer. It had been about six weeks after he first agree to pay that his phone went off again.

Do Not Answer!!!! Lawyer: This is taking too long

Do Not Answer!!!! Lawyer: I will ruin their lives maybe end yours if you don’t pick up the pace

Buck groaned, not even bothering to look at his phone when it went off again. He knew what it would say. He was doing the best he could. He’d just finished cleaning all the windows on the lower level of the station and he was absolutely exhausted, mentally and physically. He tossed his phone on the table, harder than he had planned. He honestly didn’t care when it went sliding across the table and onto the floor. He sank down into one of the chairs, dropping his head to the table. He ignored the loud thump and instant headache the cool table caused when he sweaty forehead hit it.

Eddie had witnessed the whole scene from the kitchen. Wincing at the thump as Buck’s face hit the table. If Buck had noticed he was there he hadn’t said anything. Eddie watched the younger firefighter for a minute, an uneasy feeling growing in his gut.

“You finish those windows, Buckley?” Bobby asked loudly as he entered the kitchen.

Buck nearly jumped out of his skin, scrambling to look at his boss, rubbing at his forehead as he did. Eddie took the chance to take a good look at the younger man as he spoke with their captain. Buck looked pale, his chest heaving, and his uniform looked loose on him. Eddie’s attention was drawn to a buzzing sound on the floor. Eddie hadn’t realized he’d moved closer, he knelt down and picked up Buck’s phone and looked at the lock screen, his eyes going wide as at what he saw.

Do Not Answer!!!! Lawyer: Pay me, or you’ll never be able to…

Eddie didn’t like the sound of that. He gambled and punched in a passcode, relieved Buck hadn’t changed it. He’d told Eddie the code when Eddie’d added Buck as one of Christopher’s emergency contacts at school. His brow furrowed at the tiny bit of the conversation he saw before a hand snatched the phone away.

“What the hell, man?!” Buck shouted as he shoved the phone in his pocket.

“Was that the piece of shit lawyer you used to sue us?” Eddie asked.

“You had no right to open my phone!” Buck was shaking. What all had Eddie seen? He gripped his phone through his pocket. Bobby looked between the two, he had no idea what was going on.

“How long has that scumbag been sending you this shit?” Eddie stared at Buck.

“I-It’s fine.” Buck shook his head. “I can- I am-“

“How long?” Eddie took a step closer, fists clenching when he didn’t get an answer. Bobby was starting to worry. “ANSWER ME!” Eddie shouted. Buck shrank in on himself.

“EDDIE! ENOUGH!” Bobby shouted as put himself between the two men.

“NO BOBBY! LOOK AT HIS PHONE! YOU HAVE TO-THAT PIECE OF SHIT-!” Eddie couldn’t believe what was happening. He was cut off when Bobby grabbed his arm and physically dragged Eddie out of the room.

“Calm down. Now!” Bobby glared at Eddie. “As upset as any of us are at what happened before you can’t cuss him out or fight him.”

“What? NO!” Eddie shook his head. “I-I wasn’t going to hit him. And I was calling that lawyer a piece of-“

“Then why were you screaming in his face?”

“Because that sentient garbage pile, Chase Mackey, has been sending him threats.” Eddie crossed his arms over his chest to keep from punching a wall.

“Threats?” Bobby repeated.

“Blackmail actually.” Buck approached them, his hands still shaking and tears in his eyes.

“He’s blackmailing you?” Bobby turned to look at Buck. Eddie was practically growling behind the captain. Buck nodded. “For how long?”

Buck’s shoulders dropped. “Since a week after I started back.”

“That was months ago!” Eddie shouted, his fists clenched at his side.

“Breathe, Eddie,” Bobby cautioned the angry man, before turning back to Buck. “Can I see these texts?”

Buck pulled his phone out his pocket but gripped it tight to his chest. He didn’t want them to know how bad it really was.

Bobby studied the kid closely. The kid looked so upset. “Buck, let us help you.”

Buck frowned; they hadn’t said anything nice to him in months. They’re just going to hate him more if he shows them.

“Just give us the phone.” Eddie held his hand out. Buck was tempted to throw his phone into the wall and bolt. Instead, he shook his head. Eddie took a step forward.

“Why not?” Bobby asked as he put a hand on Eddie’s wrist, the man was practically vibrating with rage; him doing something rash would not help the situation.

“You’ll hate me.” Buck mumbled, his shoulders shaking. “More than you already do.” Tears starting to streak down the younger man’s face.

“What?” Bobby stared at Buck. Eddie stilled beside him. “Hate you? We don’t hate you.”

Buck made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

“Buck,” Eddie reached out to Buck but the younger man pulled away.

“Just take it.” Buck shoved his phone in Eddie’s hand and left. Eddie went to follow Buck but was stopped by Bobby.

“One problem at a time,” Bobby frowned. “Can you open it?”

Eddie nodded and punched in the code before handing Bobby the phone. He kept glancing at the spot where Buck had been standing. Bobby took a minute to read through all the recent messages from Buck’s lawyer. What he read had him beyond angry. The kid had been dealing with this for months. There were months of threats against not only Buck, but against the whole team, even Christopher. He needed to talk to Athena. This could not continue. Bobby resisted the urge to look further back or at anything else. He took a few screen caps and sent them to himself. He frowned when he realized the last message he’d sent the kid was just after the Tsunami. _One problem at a time_, Bobby reminded himself as he took out his phone and called his wife.

An hour later Athena walked into the station with a woman in a suit. Bobby greeted them and led them to the gym, handing Buck’s phone to Athena. Buck had been trying to distract himself with a workout, but spent most of the time staring at the floor as he sat on the lifting bench. He was too tired to do much else. Bobby couldn’t help but think about how small Buck looked. His clothes didn’t fit right and he seemed out of it. _One problem at a time_, Bobby reminded himself, again. It was becoming his mantra. Athena sent Bobby a look, one Bobby knew meant they were going to have a very long talk later, as she went over to Buck.

“Buck,” Athena spoke, but got no reaction. She narrowed a gaze at Bobby. Turning back to Buck knelt in front of the youngest member of the 118. “Buck.”

Buck started slightly and blinked a few times. “Oh, hey Athena.” Buck forced a smile.

“Hi Buckaroo,” Athena stood up and handed Buck his phone. “This is my friend Detective Nina Andersson. She’s going to help you out with this Chase Mackey situation. She needs to ask you a few questions.” Detective Andersson held out her hand.

Buck stood and shook the detective’s hand. “Yeah, of course.” He glanced nervously over at Bobby but continued, “Yeah, I guess you’ll want to start with my name. Evan Buckley.”

“That’s a good start,” the detective nodded. That was all Bobby heard as he was ushered out of gym by Athena.

“That boy looks awful.” Athena shook her head. Normally she’d have stayed with Buck, but she needed to find out why no one had mentioned that Buck wasn’t looking like his usual self.

“I was starting to notice that too.” Bobby frowned. Athena gave him an incredulous look, eyebrow raised. Bobby sighed. “Things haven’t been…easy, since the lawsuit.”

“Bobby, when was the last time that boy ate?” Athena glared at her husband. Bobby grimaced. He honestly didn’t know. “Not even team dinner?” Athena glanced back through the open door at Buck as he talked with the detective.

Bobby shook his head. “He…he’s been missing them.”

“Missing them or not included?” Athena questioned. She groaned when Bobby couldn’t answer her. “What did you do?”

Bobby told her how the last few months he’d been keeping Buck on chore duty and out of the field. He told her that Buck had apologized, pretty much begged for their forgiveness, but Bobby and the team had not been very accepting.

“That boy’s not Cinderella.” Athena threw he hands up in exasperation. “You can’t just throw chores at him and ignore him! That is not how this works. Unless you enjoy being the evil stepmother.” She took a few seconds to gather her thoughts, glancing at Buck through the door again. “No wonder he thinks you hate him.” She turned back to her husband. She loved him, but he let his feelings cloud his vision at times when it comes to his team. “You,” She poked Bobby in the chest. “It is your turn to apologize to that boy. But since he looks one strong breeze away from falling over, you are going to do the one thing I know that you can do right not to help that boy, make him something to eat.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “Go.” Bobby nodded, gave his wife a peck on the cheek, and did as he was told. He knew she was right. Athena shook her head and went back into the gym.

“Okay, so since you turned down millions of dollars, he is now threatening to use the information you gave him about your friends against you, correct?” Detective Andersson asked. Buck nodded.

Athena was taken aback by that. She had known he’d turned down a deal, but for millions. She knew the boy was a good kid, but that was a level of loyalty she wasn’t sure even her own officers had. She wished they did. She must have made some kind of noise because Buck looked at her, his eyes sad. Athena couldn’t stand the look. It broke her heart.

“Okay,” Detective Andersson nodded. “I have the copies of the texts and I’ll get a report written up.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a business card. “If you have any questions or remember anything else, please call.”

“I will, thanks.” Buck accepted the card and nodded.

“Thanks, Nina,” Athena smiled.

“Thank you, this ambulance chaser has been a thorn in our side for years.” The detective smiled back. “The DA’s office will be glad to hear about this. I’ll send you details when I get them.” With a quick wave Detective Nina Andersson left. Athena turned her attention back to Buck as he sat back down on the bench. Buck ran his hand through his hair.

“Hey,” Athena smiled down at him. “Nina’s good at what she does. So you just let her and the DA’s office handle it.”

“I guess, it’s just the team is going to be so mad at me.” Buck dropped his head in his hands.

Athena sat down beside him on the bench. “Buck,” Athena spoke to him the same way she would her son. “Kid, this lawyer, he’s a greedy, manipulative, jackass. You are a kindhearted and loyal guy that is maybe a bit too trusting.” She smiled as Buck let out a chuckle. “You turned down millions and ended up paying that terrible excuse of a man your own money to protect your teammates, teammates that I have found out that have been a bunch of idiots, my husband included.” She shook her head. “Yet, you still did everything you could to protect them.” She nudged his shoulders. “You’re a good kid. You deserve better than all this.” Athena’s phone went off. It was a text from Bobby letting her know he’d finished cooking. She stood up. “Come on, you look like you could use a break.” Buck accepted her help up and followed her. He was a bit confused when they headed towards the dining area. “Sit,” Athena said as Bobby set down a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with chips on the table in front of him. Buck looked between the sergeant and his captain, but did as he was told. He slowly took a bite of the sandwich, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he did. Athena sat on one side of him as he ate, Bobby taking the other. Buck ducked his head a bit but continued eating.

Bobby cleared his throat. “Let me start by saying, I’m sorry, Buck. I hadn’t really realized how long I’d let everything go on for. You,” Bobby took a second to figure out what to say. “You dropped the lawsuit, you apologized, you did everything we asked you to, and never once did you complain. You didn’t ask for anything more than to just be here. The worst part is that I started this. If I had just talked to you about waiting just a bit longer before coming back you wouldn’t have felt you needed take on the department to get your job back. I was out of line and instead of just accepting that I dragged it out. Even after you were back at work, I dragged it out. I dragged it out for selfish reasons and you suffered for it. I’m sorry, Buck.”

Buck had eaten silently as he listened to Bobby speak. He set the remaining portion of the sandwich down when Bobby stopped speaking. He was trying to sort through everything that was happening. He wiped at the tears on his cheeks. “It’s okay, Bobby.” Buck glanced up at him. “I made some stupid decisions.”

“Decisions you made because we forced your hand.” Bobby shook his head.

“But-“

“You two could go back and forth about blame for hours, but put a pin in that for later. Buck, I need to ask you a serious question.” Buck nodded. “Have you been taking care of yourself at all? You know, eating, sleeping, all the things human beings need to function.”

Buck considered lying but they’d probably know if he did. “I…uh…not really I guess.” The amount of guilt Bobby felt was more than he’d felt in a long time. He hadn’t even noticed that Buck had been practically wasting away. He’d failed the kid. He was about to say something but was distracted when Chim and Hen came over.

Hen hugged Buck tight. “I’m so sorry, Buckaroo. I should’ve known better than follow these jerks’ lead.” Then she pulled away and swatted his arm lightly. “And that is for not asking us for help.” She sat down at the table.

“Eddie told you.” Buck ran his hand through his hair. Hen nodded.

“We don’t hate you, Buck.” Chim patted the youngest team member’s back, swiped a chip off his plate, and sat down at the table. “We hate that lawyer. But you, nah.”

Athena sent a small glare at Chim as he stole from Buck’s plate. She nudged the plate closer to Buck. “Eat.” Buck nodded and finished eating.

Buck looked around. “So…Where’s Eddie?”

Hen shook her head and smiled fondly, “He took over the gym, as soon as you guys were done with it. Pretty sure he’s picturing that lawyer’s face while he obliterates the punching bag.”

“He’s still angry?” Buck frowned.

“Why don’t you go ask him yourself,” Bobby took the plate from Buck as he stood up.

“I’ll let you know if I hear from Nina,” Athena smiled, “Or I’ll just update you tomorrow, because you are coming over for dinner tomorrow night. You are too skinny.”

Buck nodded. “I know.”

“Now go on, go make sure Eddie doesn’t destroy the gym.” Athena waved him off towards the stairs.

* * *

Hen had been right, Eddie was in the gym hitting the bag so hard Buck was sure his knuckles were messed up even with the gloves on. Eddie saw movement out of the corner of his eye, punches stopping when he looked up and saw Buck.

“You know, they might start charging you for those if you keep killing them like that.” Buck grinned.

Eddie felt the knot in his stomach loosen slightly at Buck’s grin. “Small price to pay for a good work out.” Eddie nodded and started to take off the gloves. “What’d that detective have to say?”

“She said it seems like an easy case, but he’s a lawyer, so it might be a bit of a fight.” Buck shrugged. “Depends what the DA’s office decides to do.”

“He blackmailed you with things you told him in-“

“You were right. I should have never told him any of that. It was stupid. I just, I thought,-“

Eddie put a hand on Buck’s shoulder to stop him. “Stop that. I was…wrong, or rather.” Eddie stopped and took a deep breath. “Yes, you told him some personal stuff, but that’s not, he had no right to do what he did. He’s not supposed to be able to use that stuff against you, or at all even. Not if you didn’t want him to. You weren’t breaking the law or anything.”

Buck shook his head. “I still shouldn’t have said anything.”

“And we shouldn’t have made your life hell for months.” Eddie squeezed his shoulder. “We aren’t blameless here. You have to see that right?”

“Can we just blame the lawyer and move on?” Buck looked at Eddie hopefully.

“Oh I blame him for everything already.” Eddie smiled sadly.

“So are you mad at me?” Buck asked.

“Mad at you?”Eddie blamed the lawyer for taking Buck away from him and Christopher since the very beginning. Sure he had yelled at him for falling for it but now that he thought about was he ever really mad at Buck? The situation was infuriating, but Buck was just trying to do what he thought he needed to. He didn’t see any other option. “How can I be? You look like you haven’t eaten or slept in days.”

Buck ducked his head. “Athena made me eat a sandwich, cuz I’m too skinny.”

“She’s right, because I know this used to fit you.” Eddie tugged slightly at Buck’s shirt.

“You know, huh?” Buck smirked.

“Don’t change the subject.” Eddie smirked.

“I didn’t.” Buck tried not to laugh.

“You did.” Eddie tried to glare at his best friend, but ended up smiling. “Either way, when did you last sleep?”

Buck chewed at his cheek and thought about it. “Um…got a couple hours yesterday.”

“As in last night or the night before?”

Buck shrugged. He honestly wasn’t sure. “I uh…I’ve had to pick up some small jobs for…cash.” Buck admitted, taking a step back and trying to look anywhere but at Eddie.

“To pay Mackey?” Eddie clenched his fists a few times and tried to breathe.

Buck worried his lip but nodded. Eddie wanted to punch the shit out of the bag again. He wanted to beat the shit out of the lawyer, but knew that would definitely end with him in jail. His rage must have been written all over his face because Buck seemed to get even smaller in that moment.

“No, don’t do that.” Eddie pulled Buck to him and hugged him. The idea of his best friend being afraid of him shook Eddie to the core. “He can’t hurt you anymore.” He smiled when he felt Buck melt into the hug. “I’m sorry we hurt you too.” Buck tried to shake his head but Eddie stopped him by running his fingers through the blonde’s short locks. “We did, and we know it. We’ll make it up to you.”

“It’s okay, Eddie.” Buck murmured against Eddie’s shoulder.

“No, it really isn’t, but we have plenty of time to figure that out later.” Eddie could pretty much feel how exhausted his friend was as Buck nodded against him. Eddie chuckled.

The rest of the shift passed relatively quietly. Bobby had sent Buck home with some leftovers. Buck figured Bobby was trying to make up for lost time while trying to make sure Buck didn’t lose any more weight. Buck was juggling the food, his bag, and his exhaustion as he made his way out to the jeep.

“Need a hand?” Eddie asked.

“More than one probably,” Buck laughed.

“Good thing I have two.” Eddie grinned, taking some of the food.

“I think Cap went overboard.”

“Maybe, just a bit.” Eddie nodded before helping Buck load up his jeep. It was silent for a few seconds. “Listen Buck, do you maybe want to come over?”

Buck seemed to hesitate a bit. He wanted to say yes, but just a few hours ago Eddie wouldn’t even talk to him. And he was tired. He just wanted to go home and sleep.

Eddie sighed. “Christopher asks about you pretty much every day.” He felt terrible playing the Christopher card. He knew Buck could never say no to visiting Christopher. He really just wanted to make sure that Buck actually slept.

“Yeah, of course.” Buck gave a weak smile. “I’ll meet you there, gotta drop this stuff off and I’ll be over.” Buck ran home and put the food in the fridge. Buck looked longingly at his bed. His phone went off and he froze. He pulled his phone out and sighed with relief. It was Eddie.

Eddie: Chris wants to know if you’re up for a sleepover

Buck smiled down at his phone. He really did miss them. He ran up to his room and packed an overnight bag.

Buck: On my way.

Buck didn’t even get a chance to knock on Eddie’s door before it was pulled open to reveal an excited Christopher. Eddie stood behind his son, failing to hide the smile on his face.

“Bucky!” Christopher rushed to hug Buck.

“Hey, buddy.” Buck smiled and hugged the boy back.

“I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, superman.”

Christopher pulled back to take Buck’s hand and drag him into the house. “You have to see my new drawings.” Eddie grinned as Christopher led Buck past him and towards the boy’s room. Buck looked at Eddie and shrugged. He was more than happy to follow Christopher. Buck didn’t know how long Christopher had been showing him various pictures before Eddie walked into the room.

“Sorry to interrupt but dinner is ready.” The three of them made their way to the dining table. Christopher spent most of dinner catching Buck up on what he’d been doing at school the past few months. Buck smiled and nodded all while trying to ignore the ache in his chest at having missed so much. After dinner they settled in to watch a movie. Towards the end of the movie Eddie looked over to see that both Christopher and Buck were fast asleep. He laughed quietly, snapped a quick picture and carefully lifted Christopher up and got him ready for bed. Once Christopher was tucked in Eddie went back to the living room. He smiled fondly at Buck. He gently shifted Buck so he was in a more comfortable position and covered him with a blanket. Eddie decided it was probably best to just watch TV in his room and let them sleep. He left his door open, just in case they needed him. He’d changed into sweats and t-shirt and was starting to doze off when he heard Christopher shouting. Eddie jumped out of bed and ran to Christopher’s room. He stopped in the doorway when he saw that Buck was already there. Buck was sitting on the small bed, Christopher in his arms.

“Shhh. I’m here, right here,” Buck rocked the boy back and forth gently. “You’re safe, buddy. It was just a bad dream.” Buck looked over when he noticed Eddie was there. “See? Your dad’s here too.”

“Y-yeah.” Eddie cleared his throat to keep his voice from breaking. “I’m here, mijo.” He knelt down beside the bed, reaching up to rub his son’s back. “You want to talk about it?” Christopher shook his head where it was pressed into Buck’s chest. “That’s okay.”

“Think you can get back to sleep?” Buck asked. Christopher shook his head again. Eddie bit back a sigh.

“Want to sleep in the big bed?” Eddie asked, that had worked on occasion. Christopher nodded. Buck chuckled. “Okay,” Eddie smiled, carefully picking up Christopher and moving him to the other bedroom. Buck followed close behind them, just in case Eddie needed his help.

“Bucky?” Christopher reached out to Buck as he turned to leave.

“Yeah, bud?” Buck turned back towards the little boy. Christopher moved until he was in the middle of the bed to make room in the bed. Buck looked up at Eddie. The older man shrugged, stifling a yawn.

“You sure?” Buck’s heart was pounding. Was he really about to crawl in his best friend’s bed to cuddle his friend and his son?

“I mean, if it helps him sleep.” Eddie tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal, ignoring every part of his brain telling him that might be crossing a line, but it was easier to make sure both of them actually slept if they were in the same room.

“Okay.” Buck mumbled, he went to change into his sweats since he had fallen asleep on the couch in the clothes he’d changed into before leaving the station. He came back and very carefully took the space that Christopher had left open for him. Eddie turned the volume down on the TV but let it on. It made for a semi-decent distraction, giving both Eddie and Buck something to look at while Christopher went back to sleep. Eddie kept stealing glances at Buck as the younger man started to doze off. When both Christopher and Buck were fast asleep, Eddie smiled down at them, trying not to focus on how peaceful his best friend looked in the dim flicker of the television with Christopher tucked tight into his side, in Eddie’s bed. As much as Eddie would love to freeze time and keep this moment forever, he knew that wasn’t possible. So he grabbed the remote, shut off the TV, and settled into bed. The last thing he sees as his eyes fall closed is Buck’s sleeping face, the image bringing a smile to Eddie’s face as he drifted off.

* * *

Eddie wasn’t used to waking up without an alarm or his son calling for him. As good as that felt, his empty bed was not what he was expecting. He heard a giggle from the hall. Eddie smiled and got up, after a quick trip to the bathroom he followed the sound of laughter to find Christopher and Buck in the kitchen.

“Dad!” Christopher called out when his father entered the kitchen.

“Morning,” Eddie planted a kiss on the top of his son’s head. He moved over to see what Buck had cooking, bacon and eggs. “Smells good.” Eddie stole a piece of the finished bacon off a plate.

“Impatient are we?” Buck raised an eyebrow at his best friend. “Get your coffee and let me finish. I’m almost done.”

“You know you didn’t really have to do all this,” Eddie spoke as he poured his coffee.

Buck shrugged. “Christopher woke up just after I did, so I figured we’d make some eggs.”

“Still, you didn’t have too, but I do appreciate it.” Eddie said as he started helping Christopher make toast.

Buck watched Eddie as he moved the toaster closer so Christopher could push the lever down. The younger man just wanted to stay like that for as long as he could, but a splatter of bacon grease hit his arm and reminded him he needed to focus. He thought of how the rest of the team would never let him live it down if he burned down Eddie’s house because he was distracted while making breakfast. He rubbed at his arm as he tended to the bacon.

“You alright?”Eddie asked him as he rubbed his wrist.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Just some bacon grease, I’m good.” Buck nodded as he plated the last of the bacon.

The three of them settled at the table and to eat breakfast. About halfway through the mean there was a knock at the door. Eddie and Buck exchanged a look as Eddie got up to answer the door. Eddie opened the door to find Bobby. “Uh, hey Cap, everything alright?”

“Buck’s here right?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah, had a movie night with Christopher and ended up crashing on the couch so he could get some sleep.” Eddie left out the part where all three of them ended up in Eddie’s bed.

Bobby sighed in relief, “Good.”

Eddie studied the captain for a moment. “You eat yet? We were just eating breakfast. I think Buck and Christopher made enough to feed a small army.” Eddie took a step back so Bobby could enter the house. Bobby seemed to hesitate. “I’m sure Christopher would love another guest.” Bobby nodded and crossed the threshold. Eddie closed the door behind him. “Hey guys, look who decided to stop by for breakfast?” Eddie hollered before gesturing for Bobby to follow him.

“Cap?” Buck was genuinely surprised to see Bobby as the two men approached them.

“You can sit by me!” Christopher smiled brightly, waving excitedly towards the seat beside him.

“I’d be happy to,” Bobby smiled at the little boy before taking the seat the boy had offered him. Eddie sat down a plate of food in front of the older man. “Wow, thanks Eddie.”

“Anytime, about time one of us got to feed you.” Eddie shrugged as he sat down. They ate in a bit of an awkward silence for a bit. Buck thought if no one said anything they might all just implode from the pressure of it all. He was thankful when Eddie finally said something. “So, Cap, any particular reason you decided to drop by? I mean, you’re welcome any time, but…”

“Athena sent me to check on Buck and he wasn’t at his place, I figured I’d check here.” Bobby looked at the two firefighters. “I know I could have just called, but…”

“She wanted to make sure I ate, didn’t she?” Buck asked, a sad smile on his face. Athena was a better mom then his own mom.

“Yeah,” Bobby laughed. “She’ll be glad to hear you guys have it all under control.”

“Any update on the case?” Eddie asked.

Bobby glanced at Christopher, he didn’t know what the kid might know but he knew he’d have to keep the tone from getting too heavy, or Eddie from getting angry. “They got a warrant. They’re going to put it into action today, his house, his office, and well, his arrest.” 

Buck relaxed into his seat. If they had a warrant, it meant they had a decent chance of this all finally ending. Eddie reached over to squeeze Buck’s shoulder. “See, told you we could help.”

Bobby went to speak but Christopher spoke first. “We’re going to go to the movies, you want to come too?” Bobby was surprised by the question. He looked over at Eddie.

“Huh, that’s not a bad idea.” Eddie grinned. “Harry and May busy?”

Bobby thought about it. He knew his step-daughter had plans. “I’m sure Harry’ll be up for it.”

“I’ll text Hen and see if Denny can come too.” Eddie had already pulled out his phone. He sent a text to Chim too, just to make sure he wouldn’t feel left out.

“You’re coming too, right Buck?” Christopher asked.

Buck looked around the table and couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, of course, can’t let your dad and Cap have all the fun.”

Eddie’s phone went off and he checked it. “Hen and Denny are in.” 

* * *

A few hours later Eddie, Buck and Christopher waited in the lobby of the movie theater, tickets in hand for the whole group.

“There they are,” Christopher tugged at Eddie’s jacket as Bobby and his step-son approached them.

“Got you guys tickets.” Eddie handed a pair of tickets to Bobby. The captain gave them a questioning look. “Figured it’d just be easier to get them all at once, this place can get busy on the weekends.”

“Then I guess we’ll get the snacks. You boys want popcorn?”

“Duh,” Harry replied.

“Right, silly question.” Bobby grinned.

“Why don’t you guys get in line, I’ll wait here for Hen.” Buck said. Bobby and Eddie exchanged a nervous look.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Eddie shook his head.

“Go make sure Chris doesn’t get too much junk.” Buck waved the other off. “Now go.”

Bobby and Eddie both looked at each other again before they followed the boys off to the concessions stand. Buck shook his head. Before they could even make it through the line Hen and Denny were walking in. Buck waved them over. 

“Why don’t you go join the boys in line,” Hen told Denny, watching her son carefully until he was excitedly talking to Harry and Christopher.

“So…” Hen grinned at Buck. “What’s this I hear about you sleeping over at Eddie’s?”

Buck let out a nervous laugh. “I crashed on his couch Hen. You try sleeping when there is some crazy dude out there that has sent you literal death threats.”

Hen got a serious look on her face. “Buck. You know none of us would have let him hurt you, right? Even on your most annoying and ridiculous days, we are a team. Yeah, we were a pretty shitty team for a while, but if you think that even if you weren’t talking to each other that Eddie wouldn’t have knocked that guys block off for even look at you funny, or that we wouldn’t happily help you bury the guy in the middle of the desert, then you are very, very wrong.” Hen nudged his shoulder. “I know you may still have your doubts, but like it or not, you’re one of us, Buckaroo, takes more than a sketchy lawyer to get rid of us for good. You come after one of us, you face all the us.”

Buck knew she meant well, but that last little bit still hurt. He’d gone after Bobby. That had brought the wrath of the whole team down on him. That is what had started it all.

“Knock that off,” Hen playfully swatted the back of his head. “It’s not the same. You and Cap both did something stupid. Some of us tried not to pick any sides. Chim and I were really just trying to keep our heads down. I guess we got ostrich level and didn’t see the bigger picture, alright? We weren’t pleased that they guy knew so much, but look at me Buckaroo. I’m serious. That wasn’t on you. We just got to teach you how pick better people when you hire someone. Don’t think we don’t remember you coming back from that therapist more messed up than when they sent you. We’re going to have to work on that. You’re just too much of a sweet widdle puppy dog.” She pinched his cheeks and laughed. “We should have known better than to send you out in the big mean world without us. We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“Did you just call me a puppy?” Buck tried to look insulted, but couldn’t help but grin. He was unbelievably happy to hear another one of his friends didn’t hold his actions against him anymore.

“Out of all that, you focused on the puppy part.” Hen laughed. “I missed you, Buckaroo. The station was nowhere near as fun without you.” She hugged him.

“What’s so funny?” Eddie asked, eyebrow raised as he handed Buck a bucket of popcorn to hold so he could give Hen her ticket.

“She called me a puppy.” Buck gave an exaggerated pout.

“That’s nothing new.” Eddie smirked.

“Really, Eddie, really?” Buck shook his head.

“Call ‘em as I see ‘em.” Eddie shrugged.

“It’s okay, kid.” Christopher grinned up at Buck. “Dad loves dogs.”

Eddie choked on the piece of popcorn he’d stolen from the bucket, as Hen laughed so hard she ended up leaning on Bobby to stay upright. Bobby shook his head and grinned. It was starting to feel like their team was getting back to normal. Buck turned bright red and glanced at the big clock on the wall so he didn’t have to look at any of them.

“We should hurry, don’t want to miss the previews.” Buck attempted to focus on wrangling the boys towards the theater, knowing their parents wouldn’t be too far behind. He was grateful that he wouldn’t really have to talk to anyone for the next couple hours. The dark movie theater was like a sanctuary at this point. After the movie Bobby told everyone to come by his house for dinner. Athena had already invited Buck over. He figured they might as well make a full family dinner. He’d just have to go shopping. After they all agree, Bobby assuring them he’d call Chim and let him know. They all headed home. Buck happily following Christopher to the car as he talked animatedly about the movie they’d just seen. They were sitting in a small sandwich shop talking about what they were going to do when they got home before they had to leave for Bobby’s when Buck’s froze, a bunch of his sandwich falling out of the sub. He realized he’d been really thinking of his best friend’s place as home. The more he thought about it the more he realized he felt more at home wherever Christopher and Eddie were than anywhere else. Home. It was such a strange concept for Buck. He’d never really considered the house he lived in with his parents as home. His apartment didn’t feel like home. This. This was home. It was also a terrifying thought. He was brought out of his own mind by a giggle.

“Buck,” Christopher giggled. “You’re making a mess.” Buck looked down to see his sandwich had pretty much fallen to apart.

“You okay?” Eddie looked at him, a bit concerned that his best friend wasn’t eating. He was so used to Buck practically inhaling his meal, only stopping to talk. Seeing the sub go to pieces while Buck’s unfocused eyes stared at the floor was unnerving to Eddie.

Buck shook his head, set the remains of his sandwich down and wiped his hands. He looked up at Eddie. “I uh…I guess I just ate too much at the movie.” Eddie didn’t believe him but he knew Buck wasn’t about to talk about anything that was bothering him in public, especially not with Christopher beside them. So Eddie let it go, for now.

When they got back to the house Christopher went to his room so he could draw. The movie had given him a lot of ideas. Eddie followed Buck to the living room, he studied his friend carefully. The dark circles that had been under his eyes yesterday were lighter, but he still looked tired and still a bit skinny. He knew that it would take time to get Buck back to his previous self, but Eddie was going to try. “Hey, you feeling okay? You look a bit better, and you seemed to be having fun earlier. All this isn’t too much is it? If you need a break from us, that’s understandable.”

Buck’s eyes went wide, Eddie looked so worried about him. Just over 24 hours ago Eddie would barely look at him, now Eddie looked like if Buck wasn’t okay then he’d fall to pieces, just like his sandwich had. “No, Eddie.” Buck sighed. “No this…you and Chris, this is helping more than you know.” Buck stood up and started pacing. “If someone would have told me a day and a half ago that I’d be going to the movies and dinner with you guys and the team, I’d have told them they needed a doctor, because they were on some weird shit. That they clearly couldn’t read the room. I keep thinking this is a dream. That I’ve officially lost it and I’m going to wake up alone, in my stupid apartment, with you guys still not talking to me or I would wake up in the hospital again, after he made good on his threats, or…” Buck let out a shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Hey Buck,” Eddie blocked the younger man’s path. “Come on, Buck. Look at me.” Eddie gripped his friend’s shoulders. “This is real. Okay? You aren’t asleep. You aren’t in some trauma induced coma. Buck please.” When Buck still wouldn’t look at him Eddie felt a bit desperate. “Evan, come on. Look at me.” Buck’s blue eyes met Eddie’s at the use of his first name. “You are here, with us. You’re safe. This is real.”

“It’s…it’s just been so long, and the last day has been more than I could have asked for.”

“That’s just it. You don’t have to ask. You aren’t the only one that has been missing all this. We all have. You don’t seem to realize, if that garbage lawyer had his way we’d have lost you, for good this time. If he had made good on some of those threats. We could have lost you again and we wouldn’t have even known it. It’s like that damn tsunami all over again. You took it all on your shoulders and thought you were unforgivable. But you aren’t alone, okay? Because there was nothing to forgive before and there really isn’t anything to forgive now. Someone wants to hurt you and we aren’t going to let that happen. Not when we can actually do something about it. I don’t want you to wake alone in that apartment, because that means no one is there to help you if something bad happens. Why do you think Bobby went there this morning? Why do you think I made you crash here? Why do you think Bobby and Athena want you to come over tonight? Because we want to make sure you’re okay, that you are taken care of. We want to help take care of you, is that so hard to believe? We all missed you. Evan. I missed you, more than you could possibly know. Not having my best friend to talk to was driving me insane. So having you here, right here, staring at me like I’ve grown a second head, is more than I could have hoped for.”

“You really mean that?” Buck asked.

“Of course I do.” Eddie pulled Buck into a hug.

Buck hated losing the warmth that was Eddie, but he pulled away. “So uh…I guess this means I might need to run by my apartment. I know I didn’t pack enough to stay here until this mess is sorted out.” ‘_Or forever_,’ Buck wanted to add but left that part out.

“Yeah, we can do that. We can stop by your place on the way to Cap’s.” Eddie tried not to read too much into it. He’d just unloaded a lot on Buck. He’d almost told him he loved him. Maybe he should have. Eddie didn’t know.

* * *

Eddie pulled up outside of Buck’s building. “You want us to come up with you?”

“Nah, I think I can manage to handle packing some clothes. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Buck got out of the car and went into his building. When he reached his door he stopped. There were scratches on his door he didn’t remember being there. He thought about it for a second but decided it was probably just one of his neighbors came home drunk and tried to get in the wrong apartment. But to be safe he pulled his phone out of his pocket, pulling up Athena’s contact info. He unlocked the door, let himself in and was halfway up the stairs when he heard someone behind him.

“You have been a real pain in my ass, you know that.”

Buck knew that voice, it was Chase Mackey. He sent Athena a quick message he really hoped she’d understand.

Buck: @ apt help

Buck turned around and started down the stairs. Mackey pointed a gun at him. “Don’t you move, don’t do anything stupid.” Mackey laughed. “What am I saying, you are nothing but stupid.” Buck held his hands in front of him. He really hoped that Eddie didn’t start to wonder what was taking Buck so long and come looking for him.

“Like listen to you? That was pretty stupid.” Buck glared at the man from where he stood.

“I will shoot you, dumbass.”

“Then do it. Add another charge. DA’s already got you for blackmail, you added breaking and entering, what’s it going to be huh? Attempted murder? Feel free to keep adding years to your time.” Buck’s started down the stairs slowly.

“Don’t move!” Mackey shouted. “I said-,” They both froze when Buck’s phone started ringing in his hand. “Who is that?”

Buck glanced at the phone, it was Eddie. “It’s just my friend outside. Probably wondering what is taking so long. We were on our way to another friend’s house for dinner and I need to pick some stuff up. He is literally out front waiting for me.”

“Well he’s going to be waiting for a long time.” The ringing stopped. _Just please stay downstairs, Eddie. _

“What do you want from me?” Buck spoke calmly despite the fact his heart was pounding in his ears.

“I wanted my money, but you ruined that, twice now.”

“Pretty sure you ruined that yourself. You really just couldn’t leave-,” Buck stopped when his phone started ringing again. It was Athena. “It’s just my friend downstairs.” Buck lied.

“You know what? Just turn the damn thing off.”

“If I do they’ll just-“

“I SAID TURN IT OFF!”

Buck reluctantly followed orders. He hoped that Athena’s help could get there before Eddie got antsy and came looking for him. “It’s off.” It was an awkward stand off for a few minutes but it got real crazy when they started hearing sirens.

“YOU CALLED THE COPS?!”

“What?! No! I didn’t call anyone!”Buck barely missed the bullet that hit the wall beside him. He dove down the few remaining stairs and tried to find cover.

* * *

Eddie had started getting nervous when Buck didn’t answer his phone.

“No answer?” Christopher asked.

“He probably set it on the table and didn’t hear it.” Eddie tried to reassure his son, and himself. Buck was taking longer than he expected. Eddie looked at the time. He just had this gut feeling something was off. It only got worse when his phone rang.

“Hey, Athena, we’re-“

“Are you with Buck?” Athena cut him off.

“He ran up to his apartment, Chris and I are in the car. Is everything okay?”

“Just stay where you are okay? Stay in the car!”

“Athena-,” Eddie tried, but she had already hung up. Eddie tried to call Buck but it went straight to voice mail. “Shit!”

“Dad?”

“Yeah, I know bad word, sorry Chris.”

“Something is wrong isn’t it?”

“I think so, bud.”

Eddie starts to get out of the car when he hears sirens, he is torn about leaving Christopher behind, but if something is wrong can he really do nothing? He jumps out of the car when a police car pulls up, followed closely by Athena’s car. “Christopher! Stay in the car.” Eddie locked the car with the key fob and ran towards Athena. “What is going on?”

“Eddie, just-,” Athena was stopped by the sound of gunfire. “Go! Go Now!” She sent the officers in.

* * *

Mackey turned to the window as siren’s stopped outside the building. Buck took the distraction as a chance to make a move. He lunged at the man to knock him down and tried to get the gun out of his hand. He just needed to buy a little more time. The man fired another shot. Buck felt a pain in his shoulder but kept fighting. He didn’t let off until he heard his door bust in and shouting. He pushed away and crawled into the kitchen as fast as he could, putting as much distance between him and Mackey as possible. He leaned against a cabinet and watched as the officers subdued his former lawyer. Athena rushes into his line of sight.

“I might be a little late to dinner.” Buck smirked.

“I think Bobby’ll accept a rain check on this one, Buckaroo.” Athena huffed a laugh as she grabbed a kitchen towel a pressed into Buck’s shoulder. He grits his teeth and tried to breathe through the pain.

“Buck!”

“Is that?”

“I told him to stay in the car, but when have either of you ever listened?” Athena shook her head.

“Buck! Jesus Christ,” Eddie ran over and dropped down beside Athena, he pulled the towel away and got a look at the wound before grabbing another towel and putting it between Buck’s shoulder and the cabinet. “What the hell happened?”

“My lawyer shot me.” Buck looked at Eddie. “Where’s Christopher? Please tell me you didn’t leave him in the car.” Buck glared at him.

“Seriously? You just got shot and you’re mad I left Chris in the car?” Eddie let out an exacerbated sigh.

“Keys?” Athena rolled her eyes. Eddie quickly grabbed the car keys and handed them to her. She took them. “I’ll get the kid. Keep him alive, Eddie.”

Eddie nodded, his full attention on keeping enough pressure on Buck’s wounds to keep him alive. “I let you out of my sight for five minutes, Buck.”

“I’m just that lucky.” Buck chuckled.

“Ambulance is 2 minutes out.”Athena shouted before disappearing out the door.

“Hear that, just a couple more minutes.” Eddie tried to reassure him.

“Sorry you’ll probably get stuck with hospital food instead of Bobby’s cooking.” Buck joked, letting his head loll to the side.

“You sure have a strange set of priorities, Evan Buckley.” Eddie shook his head but kept his grip tight.

“Yeah, well, it works for me.” Buck smirked.

“You might genuinely be the death of me.”

“Might be my own death first.”

“Not on my watch, okay? Evan, just hang on. I’m right here.”

“I know, you always have my back, right?”

“Always.” Eddie pulls back when the paramedics get there, but only long enough for them to start working on Buck and get him on the stretcher. He kept pace with them as they went to load Buck in the back of the ambulance.

“Go with him,” Athena called from where she stood next to Eddie’s car with Christopher. “We’ll look after Chris.” Eddie hesitated for a second. “Go.” Athena told him. Eddie nodded and climbed in the back of the ambulance.

* * *

Eddie had no idea how long he’d been pacing in the waiting room when Maddie and Chimney joined him.

“How did this happen?” Maddie asked Eddie as she hugged him.

“That son of a bitch lawyer, broke into Buck’s apartment.” Eddie took a step back and ran his hand over his face. “Buck wanted to stop by on the way to Bobby’s so he could grab a few things. I stayed with Chris in the car.” Eddie tried to keep his anger from getting the best of him. “I should have gone with him.”

“So Christopher could have been caught in the middle of it? Eddie, you had no idea this was going to happen.” Maddie tried to put a hand on Eddie’s shoulder but the man pulled away and went back to pacing.

“I told him earlier, I wouldn’t let this happen, that we’d stick together.” Eddie blinked back tears. “I spent almost two days with him by my side to keep him safe. I let him walk away for a few minutes, and that bastard shoots him.”

“Eddie if you would have gone in there he’d have probably shot you too, or even Christopher. You said Buck was still talking when they took him back, that’s good.”

“How bad is it?” Chim asked.

“It was a through-and-through, to the shoulder,” Eddie looked down at his hands, he’d managed to scrub as much of the blood of them as he could. His jacket was so covered in it they’d taken it from him.

“Hey,” Maddie takes his hands in hers. “Evan’s been a fighter since we were kids. Athena said you guys were there in seconds. You know as well as I do that getting help that quick makes a big difference. If you had been with him and had gotten hurt there is no way you could have helped him that much. I know this is hard for you, and you probably don’t want to hear this, but I really think you need to.” She squeezed his hands to make sure she had his attention, when his eyes met hers she continued. “He’d have done anything and everything to protect you and Chris, probably getting himself hurt even more than he now. You were exactly where he needed you to be. Close, but out of danger. I know hearing the gun shot brought a lot back but-”

“There were two shots.” Eddie frowned.

“What?” Maddie was confused. “Athena said it was just his shoulder.”

“She’s not wrong, but there were two shots. I know that sound.” Eddie let go of Maddie’s hands.

“Guess the guy was as bad a shot as he was a lawyer.” Chim said, earning a look from Maddie. “What? The guy’s the worst.”

“And he’ll be locked up for a good long time.” They turned to see Athena and Detective Andersson approach them. Athena gestured to the lawyer. “This is Detective Nina Andersson.”

Eddie tensed. He had so many questions for the detective, a few of them not very nice. He started with, “How did this happen?”

“He wasn’t at his office or his home when we went to search them. Every cop in the city has been looking for him, but we still can’t be everywhere.” Detective Andersson spoke.

“He was at Buck’s apartment, waiting for him.”

“I know you’re upset, Mr. Diaz but we had officers in the area, they went by the building a few times but we were told that Evan was staying elsewhere.”

“He was!” Eddie was starting to lose his patience.

“Eddie,” Athena pulled the man aside. “I know this sucks, but you need to keep it together. Yelling at Nina isn’t going to help. As much as we wish this would have played out differently, Buck’s one case of many these officers have to deal with. Yeah, it is personal for us, but they all have jobs to do still. So I need you to take a few breathes and go back over there and tell her exactly what you saw. You were there before us.” Eddie nodded and followed her back to the others.

“Mr. Diaz, I am sorry this happened,” the detective spoke, “Especially knowing your son was with you.”

“Thanks,” Eddie crossed his arms against his chest, pressing his fists tight against his biceps to try and ground himself. “You have questions for me?”

“Can you tell me what happened after you got to the apartment building?” Eddie spent the next few minutes filling the detective in on what little he had known. How nothing had looked off about the building. They were interrupted when a doctor approached them.

Maddie jumped up from where she was sitting beside Chimney. “Is my brother okay?”

“Evan is stable, we managed to get everything cleaned up and closed. He’ll not be able to use his right arm for much for a couple of months, so he will need a lot of help, but he will heal.”

“Can we see him?” Maddie asked.

“I’ll have a nurse come get you once they move him to a room.” The doctor excused himself and left.

“Well that good, right?” Chim asked.

“Yeah,” Athena nodded. “I’m going to let everyone know he’s okay, I’m sure they’ll be by soon.” She stepped outside to call her husband. Detective Andersson excused herself as well.

“He is not going to be happy to be on medical leave again.” Maddie turned to Eddie. “I love my brother but we both know he’ll probably want to stay with you.”

“Me?” Eddie asked, looking at her, a bit surprised.

“Well yeah, he was already staying with you, but if it’s too much. I can-,” Maddie spoke, but was cut off by Eddie.

“No, you’re right. He was going to stay with us until everything got sorted out, he still can.”

“Honestly,” Maddie looked a bit nervous as she spoke. “I was hoping maybe being around you and Chris, even Carla, will keep him from getting stuck in his head, like he always does. I think sometimes when he’s with me he just ends up back to when were kids and he’d-,” Maddie stopped. Buck’s childhood traumas were his to tell, not hers. “You guys were like the highlight of his day when his leg was healing. Even if he found your wake up calls annoying at time, he still adored every minute he got spend with Chris.” Eddie nodded. He knew she was right, but Eddie’s help had led Buck out of the house and into a tsunami, then he’d been no help at all after the lawsuit, but he’d fix that.

“I’m sure they’ll be glad to have him around. Chris loves his Buck, and Carla’s known him longer than I have.” Eddie nodded, a bit relieved. As much as Eddie liked his best friend’s sister, he really didn’t like the idea of Buck not being where Eddie could keep an eye on him. That nerve-wracking time in the car was the worst he’d ever felt, rivaled only by the whole minute he thought he’d truly lost Christopher forever after the tsunami, burying his ex-wife, and seeing Buck pinned under the ladder truck. The screams and weak grip from that night still haunted Eddie’s dreams. He’d lost friends before, it was just the nature of the military, but every time he almost lost his best friend was like losing a part of himself. He was drawn out of his own miserable thoughts by Chim tapping his arm. He looked up to see Maddie talking to a nurse. The nurse took them to Buck’s room, leaving them at the door. Maddie rushed inside, bue Eddie stopped. He had to brace himself, reminding himself, the first look was always the hardest. He counted to ten and went in the room. It was still like a punch in the gut to see his best friend hooked up to all the machines, face pale, and weak. He moved to the side of the bed. Eddie sat down, and watched as Maddie held her brother’s hand and spoke softly to him, even as he slept. Eddie sent a few silent prayers up for his best friend. He was thankful he’d pulled through. That he was going to get him back. A few minutes later Maddie was on her feet. Eddie’s eyes following hers to see Buck was starting to wake up. Maddie coaxed her brother into consciousness. Eddie let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding when he saw Buck’s blue eyes open. He was on his feet opposite Maddie in an instant.

“How you feeling, little brother?” Maddie smiled down at Buck.

“Just peachy.” Buck’s voice was scratchy and quiet. Eddie grabbed him a glass of water, wrangling the straw so his friend wouldn’t have to. Buck blinked a few times like he was trying to focus when he looked at Eddie. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Eddie grinned.

Buck looked around. “Where’s Chris?”

“He’s with Bobby.” Eddie answered. “You don’t remember Athena taking my keys before the paramedics got there?”

Buck was quiet for a minute as he tried to piece together what had happened. “Because you left him in the car.” Buck narrowed his gaze at Eddie.

“Really man?” Chim shook his head.

Eddie groaned. “It’s not like I was going to get a coffee and just left him there. It was in the car or an active crime scene. He’s nine, he knows how locks work, he also know the police are there to help, and that if he really needed help he’d have had it. The place was crawling with cops. There was literally one at the door, watching everything. When I leave him for five minutes at worst I come back to a bored kid, accidently getting crayon everywhere because he got tired of waiting. You, I leave you for five minutes and you end up here. You might actually end up with a name plate on one of these rooms instead of a room number at this rate.” Eddie ran his hand over his face. 

“As handsome as that face of yours is, Buckaroo,” Chim spoke, clearly trying to lighten the atmosphere. “I think the hospital staff might start getting sick of seeing it. You end up here more than I do.” Maddie glared at her boyfriend, before turning back to her brother.

“Ignore them. You’re alive, that’s the important thing.” Maddie squeezed her brother’s hand.

Eddie’s phone started ringing. “I’ll be right back.” He stepped out into the hall, waving at Athena and the detective as he did. 

“Hey Carla,” He answered the phone, “Hang on a sec.” He turned away from the phone to look at the two as they approached. “He just woke up. He remembered enough to glare at me for leaving Chris in the car, as opposed to bringing him to gunfight.” He turned back to his phone. “What? Not you too. Why is everyone so upset I didn’t take my son upstairs after hearing gunshots? He’s old enough to know how car doors work. Carla, do you want to know how Buck’s doing or are you just going to shout at me, because it has been a pretty shitty day.”

Athena shook her head and smiled as she moved into the room. She felt a bit bad for Eddie. He’d been in a tough spot and did what he thought was best, now everyone was giving him a hard time. “How you feeling, Buckaroo?” She asked as she moved to stand beside the man’s hospital bed.

“Been better,” Buck sighed.

“Also been worse.” Athena smiled at him.

“True,” the injured firefighter nodded.

“Eddie says you remember what happened, or at least enough of it to get him in trouble.”

“Trouble?” Buck didn’t want Eddie getting in trouble for anything, he’d been nothing but helpful all day. “Where’d he go?” Buck tried to sit up but Maddie and Athena nudged him back against the pillows.

“He’s in the hallway, apparently Carla overheard him tell us you were still mad he left Christopher in the car.” Athena chuckled. “She gave him an earful from what I heard.” Buck went to say something else, probably to defend his best friend but she stopped him. “He’s a big boy, Buck. He can hold his own. He did what he had to so he could keep his kid safe and you from bleeding out in your kitchen. So, I think we’ll let the kid in the car thing go from a legal perspective. Everyone’s safe, Buck. No need to worry about anyone but you. Got it?” Buck nodded, so she continued. “You remember Detective Andersson, right?” She waved the detective over from where she had been waiting by the door.

“Yeah,” Buck nodded.

“Well, she’s going to need you to tell her what happened, what you remember, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Buck tried to sit up a little bit so he could go through it all without falling asleep. Maddie helped him.

“I’m going to go get a coffee.” Chim headed into the hall. Maddie made it clear she wasn’t leaving by sitting on the edge of the bed and her brother’s good hand clasped in both of hers for support.

“Okay,” the detective nodded. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I went up to my apartment, Eddie and Christopher were in the car, I figured it’d take longer for Chris to get into my apartment than it would for me to just run up, grab some clothes and head back. I got to my door.” Buck stopped, trying to remember exactly what had happened. It was easier than the times he’d had to deal with questions while he had a concussion, but it still was all a bit fuzzy around the edges. Maddie rubbed the back of his hand, he was glad she was there, she was keeping him grounded. “My um…my door looked different.”

“What do you mean, different? Did you notice anything specific?” Andersson asked, she’d seen the marks on the door herself when she’d arrived at the scene, but the more detailed a statement she could get from him the better it would stand up in court.

“I think…” Buck’s brows furrowed as he thought. “It didn’t look like it was kicked in or anything just...scratched up, like around the lock and handle.”

“That’s good, Mr. Buckley,” the detective nodded as she took notes. “Can you tell me what happened next?”

“I…I figured it was just the neighbors, you know? But I was in a hurry, so I went in and started up the stairs. But Chase was there.”

“Chase as in Chase Mackey?”

“Yeah,” Buck cleared his throat, it was still sore from when they had him under. Maddie helped him get a drink, and he continued. “I didn’t make it up the stairs. He was talking. I had my phone. So I sent a text.”

“Who did you text?”

Buck thought for a moment. “Athena,” as he said the sergeant’s name he used his and Maddie’s joined hands to gesture to her. “You got it right?”

“I did.” Athena smiled.

“Okay,” Buck nodded. “And I know I turned around to face him. He was talking, but I don’t remember what he said.”

“That’s okay, Buck.” Athena nodded. “Just tell her what you can.”

“He shot the wall.” Buck felt Maddie’s hands tighten around his, he squeezed her hand back, aiming to reassure her that he was okay.

“Could you tell if it was on purpose, like a warning shot?”

“I…I don’t think so. I think he just missed, but I don’t know. I just tried to get out of the way. I know I got down the stairs. I think the sirens freaked him out. He looked at the window, and I fought him. Tried to get the gun away, the gun went off, my shoulder hurt like hell but I didn’t stop. Not until the cops were there.” He looked at Athena. “Then you and Eddie were there, then the ambulance, and here we are.”

“Okay,” Nina finished taking a few notes, “That’s good. Thank you. If you remember anything else, give me a call, but for now, you just focus on healing up. We’ll be in touch soon.” The detective smiled and with a quick goodbye she left.

“You did good kid,” Athena gave Buck’s leg a reassuring squeeze. “You fought like hell and stayed alive. Couldn’t ask for a better witness.” Bobby had told her how much Buck seemed to crave validation, especially from them. She also knew better than to call him a victim. He was a fighter, a survivor. “Smart move with that text, I called in for a welfare check before I even tried calling you. When you didn’t answer I had them send another unit.”

Buck smiled back at her. “Bet Cap was not happy being left behind.”

“You know it,” Athena laughed. “But that’s what happens when you invite a bunch of people over. So yeah, I made him stay.”

There was a knock at the door, and Eddie came in, grinning. “You have a few visitors.” He held the door open and Christopher made his way to Buck’s bed as fast as his crutches could manage, Bobby, Hen, and Chim not far behind him. Chim handed Maddie a cup of coffee.

“Hey Buddy,” Buck smiled down at the boy.

“Hi Bucky,” Christopher smiled back up at him. Maddie led the boy over to take her spot. Eddie thanked her before hoisting up his son so he could sit on the edge of the bed. Eddie pulled the chair closer to the bed so he could not only make sure his son didn’t fall, but to make sure he didn’t do anything that would unintentionally hurt Buck. He knew his son was easily excitable when it came to seeing his Buck.

“You have a good time at Bobby’s?” Buck asked the boy.

Christopher shrugged. “It was okay.”

“Just okay?” Buck asked.

“He was too worried about his Buck,” Bobby answered for him from where he stood next to his wife.

“Wasn’t the only one,” Hen stated, standing at the foot of the bed with Maddie and Chim.

“Sorry to ruin family dinner.” Buck frowned.

“You didn’t ruin anything. We’ll just have it sometime next week, when you’re feeling a bit better.”

“Next time you want us to all get together, try not to do it from a hospital room, okay Buckaroo?” Hen squeezed his ankles for emphasis. “Because even Denny thinks we should just keep you bubble wrap when not at work, maybe even then.”

Buck laughed, trying to hide the pain it caused in his shoulder. Apparently he did a pretty terrible job of hiding it if Eddie moving his hand to rub Buck’s good arm was any indicator. They all talked for a few minutes, until a nurse showed up to shoo most of the guests out of the room, all of them promising to check in on him in the next few days. Maddie and Eddie stayed, and Christopher had refused to budge, he’d wanted to stay with his Buck. No one had the heart to tell the boy no yet. When the doctor told them that he could go home in the morning, Maddie and Eddie started arguing about how to handle it. Buck just chuckled. Christopher took advantage of the two adults being distracted, to scoot over and snuggle into Buck’s good side. Buck wasn’t about to complain. He just smiled and carded his fingers thought the boy’s hair, relaxing them both.

“Glad you’re okay, Bucky.” Christopher spoke, his head resting against the older man’s chest.

“Me too, Buddy.” Buck noticed the room had gone quiet. He looked up to find his sister taking a picture and Eddie smiling fondly at the two of them.

“Told you it’d be good for them.” Maddie grinned at Eddie before moving to the other side of the bed. She leaned in and kissed her brother’s forehead. “Since you’re in good hands, I’m going to go. Call me if you need me.” She messed up her brother’s hair and grinned at his outrage on Buck’s face as Christopher laughed. “Try to stay out of trouble. I’ll stop by before work in the morning. Love you little brother.”

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too.” Buck shook his head. “Text me when you get home.” He called after her.

“You don’t even have your phone, but I’ll let you know.” She shook her head, smiling, and waved goodbye as she left.

Buck dozed off not long after everything calmed down. He woke up confused. The warmth that had been Christopher tucked into his side was gone. He blinked a few times but before he could ask Eddie leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bed.

“Your sister made it home and Chris’ at Abuela’s for the night. We can pick him up when we head home tomorrow.”

Buck gave him a questioning look.

“You’re going to stay with us until you’re feeling better.” Eddie told him.

“It’s fine, it’s not as bad as my leg. I’m sure I can manage on my own. No need to bother you guys.” Buck didn’t want to be a burden on anyone, least of all Eddie.

“Okay, first off, the Doctor said you’d need someone to look after you. Second, Carla is already mad at me. If she finds out I left you alone, I might just be a dead man. And finally, we’ve been through this, everyone will sleep better knowing you aren’t on your own, I will sleep better, okay? So just get used to it. You’re stuck with us now.” Eddie smirked. “Besides, Christopher already has a million things planned from you since you’d said you would be staying even before you got your ass shot.”

“My ass is just fine.”

Eddie laughed. “I know it is, but the point is-,”

“So you think my ass is fine?” Buck smirked.

“They must have you on the real good stuff.” Eddie shook his head.

“I didn’t hear a no…” Buck challenged.

“If I tell you your ass is fine, will you go back to sleep?” Eddie asked.

“Only if you mean it.” Buck nodded.

“Fine,” Eddie leaned in close. “Your ass, like the rest of you is like a work of art, Evan. Happy?”

Buck may have started the whole thing but it didn’t stop the blush that spread across his skin. “Uh…yeah. Very.”

“Might be the kind of art you find at a garage sale or in a dentist’s office, but still art.” Eddie grinned, sitting back in his chair.

“Rude, that was so rude. I took a bullet today and you call me garbage art.” Buck shook his head and pouted. 

Eddie laughed again, stood up and took Buck’s face in his hands. “Stop fishing for compliments, and you wont get jokes. You’re hot as hell and you drive me crazy,” Eddie kissed him. “Now go to sleep.”

Buck whined. “How am I supposed to sleep now?”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Eddie chuckled.

“Please?”

“Okay, just one more, okay?” Eddie kissed him again, it was gentle and sweet. Buck eagerly kissed back, whining again when Eddie pulled back. Eddie leaned his forehead against Buck’s. “Sooner you go to sleep, sooner it will be morning, and we get to go home. So sleep.” Eddie pulled back and placed a kiss on the younger man’s forehead. “They’ll be plenty of time for other things later.” Buck smiled, closing his eyes as he felt Eddie’s finger intertwine with his. Everything had turned out alright. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.  
I own nothing. Sorry if it is a bit ooc, some of these characters come easier to me than others.  
Read my works or send me prompts on tumblr at sortofanobsession


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